PNG and Japan sign on for Nadzab airport project

Papua New Guinea and Japan's foreign aid arm have signed an agreement to begin the US$225 million Nadzab International Airport development project.

The newspaper, The National , reports that the Morobe province project is scheduled to start in March and be completed by August 2020, with the design completion date being February 2017.

PNG wants to develop Nadzab, near the city of Lae, as an alternate international airport to Port Moresby.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has signed the project agreement with PNG's National Airports Corporation.

This follows on from Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's visit to Japan in October where both countries signed a loan agreement for the project, under which Japan will provide US$ 188 million and PNG counterpart funding of $37 million.